Biden predicts win, calls for unity as presidential race still too close to call

WILMINGTON, Del. — Joe Biden on Friday night once again predicted victory in the 2020 race, calling for unity after the final results come in and claiming the vote that had so far been counted proved that the nation had given him a “mandate for action” on issues like combatting the pandemic.

“We don’t have a final declaration, a victory yet. But the numbers tell us a clear and convincing story,” Biden said in a brief speech from his campaign headquarters. “We’re going to win this race.”

According to NBC News, Biden has received 253 Electoral College votes, compared to 214 for President Donald Trump. The battleground states of Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina remain too close to call, according to NBC News.

Citing the fact that he’d already received more than 74.3 million votes — the most ever by any presidential candidate — Biden said he was “going to win this race with a clear majority, with the nation behind us.”

“What’s becoming clear each hour is that record numbers of Americans of all races, faiths, religions chose change over more of the same,” he said, adding that the numbers suggested voters had “given us a mandate for action” on policy issues including controlling Covid-19, climate change, the economy and fighting systemic racism.

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'We're going to win this race': Biden speaks amid ongoing ballot counting

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He spoke of his desire to unite a divided country, urged Americans eagerly awaiting a clear result in the race to “remain calm and patient and let the process work out” and promised that all votes would be counted.

"My responsibility as president will be the represent the whole nation. And I want you to know that I'll work as hard for those who voted against me as those who voted for me. That's the job," he said. "It's called the duty of care for all Americans."

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Those comments, in particular, marked a stark contrast with the statements made and actions taken in recent days by Trump.

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In the days since the election, Trump has generated unfounded fears about the vote tabulation process, by firing off tweets demanding that officials halt counting and leave ballots uncounted in places where analysts think the remaining votes favor Democrats.

In the early hours Wednesday morning, with millions of votes still uncounted, Trump falsely claimed he had won. And on Thursday, he held a press conference where he made a series of false election fraud claims.

Biden, meanwhile, also pointed to the fact that he and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., received briefings on Thursday on the coronavirus pandemic and the economy as proof that they were “not waiting to get the work done, to start the process” of transitioning to the presidency.